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Pot and schools: bad chemistry

On April 14, I read an opinion piece by a marijuana “patient advocate,” who interprets our state law in a way that allows pot stores (“What’s needed is a balanced and humanitarian approach”). Another opinion piece explained how pot use by high school juniors in San Diego City Schools jumped by 70 percent in just two years, while pot shops spread across the city (“Don’t buy the noble talk. Just look at the facts”).

In the same edition of the U-T, another article (“Five county districts at risk of failing grad mandate”) looked at how city schools are struggling to get districtwide graduation rates above the federally mandated 90 percent mark.

A new report from the Institute for Behavior and Health is called “America’s Dropout Crisis: The Unrecognized Connection to Adolescent Substance Use.” It says “Marijuana use negatively impacts academic outcomes (lower GPA and higher rates of dropout) somewhat more than does alcohol.”

Recapping: Smoking weed means lower grades and lower graduation rates. City schools have a dropout problem. Marijuana “dispensaries” sell pot over the counter, which is then resold to high-school kids. So, naturally, the city’s looking to allow more pot shops to open.